William ennis



W. ENNIS.

PROCESSES Am APPARATUS en THE comaus'rxouor FUEL. N'o.'184,358. 'ra' meaNo /14,1876.

THE GRAPHIC CO.NVI.

UNITED STATES PATENT Orrrca.

WILLIAM ENNIS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN PROCESSES AND APPARATUS FOR THE COMBUSTION OF FUEL,

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 184,358, dated November14, 1876; application filed July 14, 1875. v

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM ENNIS, of the city, county, and State of NewYork, have invented an Improvement in the Combustion of Fuel, of whichthe following is a specification: I

The objects of my invention are to insure the thorough combustion offuel in furnaces, and to produce an intense heat therein, and theseobjects I attain in the manner which 1 ,will now proceed to describe,reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1represents a vertical section of a furnace, showing the mode of carryingmy invention into effect; Fig. 2, a transverse section of the same, andFig. 3 a sectional view of one of the burners.

A represents the combustion-chamber of the furnace, B the grate-bars,and D the ash pit. In the latter, immediately beneath the grate-bars,are arranged a number of pipes, a, which communicate with a pipe, b,outside the front wall of the furnace, and are provided with a number ofshort vertical branch pipes, d, the tops of which are level with thetops of the grate-bars. I prefer 'to so arrange the pipes at andbranches at that one of the latter will be provided for each square footof gratesurface.

The process of effecting the combustion of the fuel on the grate B is asfollows: Air at a comparatively low pressure is forced into the ash-pitD by any suitable means, and, ascend ing through the grate-bars B,serves to support the combustion of the fuel, and to convert the sameinto carbonic oxide. In order that this carbonic oxide may be consumedwith full effect, air at a greater pressure must be supplied, and thisis effected by means of the pipes 12 and a, and branches d, throughwhich air at a pressure of from three to five times that of the airwhich enters the ash-pit D is forced, and, passing through the bed ofignited fuel, unites with the carbonic oxide at the surface of the same,and produces a flame of intense heat.

I construct the branches d in the manner shown more fully in Fig. 3-thatis to say, with a contracted opening, 0, in the top, and within thebranch and a short distance below the opening, I place a disk or plate,f, larger in diameter than the opening 6, but sufficiently contracted toallow a space between its outer edge and the inside of the branch forthe passage of air.

By this arrangement, the free passage of air from the branch ispermitted, while the plate f prevents the entrance of ashes and cinderswhich might otherwise tend to choke the pipe and impede the passage ofthe air.

My invention may be applied with important results to metallurgicaloperations, in which, at times, an excess of oxygen is required, whileat other times this supply must be withheld, this being easilyaccomplished by my arrangement, in which both feed-pipes are under theready control of the fireman.

I claim as my invention 1. The mode herein described of effecting thecombustion of fuel in furnacesthat is to say, by forcing through theentire mass of fuel two volumes of air, one at a comparatively lowpressure, for the purpose of generating carbonic oxide, and the other ata higher pressure for the purpose of effecting the coinbus tion of thegases, all substantially as set forth. v

2. The combination of the pressure-pipe I), and the distributing -pipesat, beneath the grate-bars of the furnace, with the branches d extendingto the surfaces of the said bars, as set forth.

3. The combination of the branch cl, having an opening, 0, with a diskor plate, f, arranged within the pipe beneath the opening, as and forthe purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name tothis specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM ENNIS.

